When Bullets Turned To Ballads

Juárez, the War-Ravaged Border Town, Welcomes Back Juan Gabriel, and Hope

CIUDAD JUAREZ – This city, along with its prodigal son, the mega-star known as Juan Gabriel, has seen better days—we all have. The world-renowned singer with the thinning, dyed hair, wrinkles, and a few too many pounds walked forcefully on stage. Never mind that his voice was a bit raspy, his steps a bit wobbly. There he was, in full splendor, dressed in white with brown and green trimmings. Like Juárez, he was still standing.

The performance wasn’t so much about perfection as it was about redemption, reconciliation, and forgiveness for residents still …

Nation of Amateurs

Trust Might Be the Only Thing Keeping America’s Rickety Electoral System Working—And That’s Not a Bad Thing

Twenty-four hours after Mitt Romney’s concession speech—as most of America nursed election hangovers, pundits opined on what went wrong for Romney and what’s next for Obama, and Florida continued counting …

César Castro

Para Bailar ‘La Bamba,’ You Need Some Jarocho Music from Veracruz

In his quest to bring the sound and spirit of son jarocho music to Los Angeles, César Castro has had to adapt. After all, as intimately connected as L.A. is …

The Miracle Of Everything Anywhere Anytime

Let’s Stop Moping For a Moment to Remember What Infoscarcity Felt Like

I must have been 12 or 13 when my father suggested I go downtown with him to get some money from the bank. It was a Saturday afternoon, and, although …

Sometimes, No Se Puede

Mexico’s Leading Leftist Refuses to Master the Art of Losing

Memo to Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Mexican presidential candidate who lost on July 1 by six percentage points: Losing is bad; not accepting your defeat is worse.

Losing well is …

Dinosaurios in the Lead

Mexico Looks Poised to Vote for the Past

It’s taken a dozen years, but Mexicans have reached the same conclusion that Russians came to in the 1990s and that Egyptians came to after their recent elections: Democracy is …